Man closely linked to job

Responsible for much of care given to Aberdeen's Lee Park Golf Course

Responsible for much of care given to Aberdeen's Lee Park Golf Course

June 18, 2007|By Jake Gantz, American News Writer

Like an approach shot gone awry, Jarod Mather has been hooked. "I was going to go to school for something completely different," said Mather, 25, now in his third year as the assistant superintendent at the Lee Park Golf Course. "I came out for a part-time job and haven't been able to leave." Seven years and one degree in turf management later, Mather loves his job that keeps him outside at the golf course all day. As the assistant superintendent, Mather is in charge of a 11-person crew whose job it is to keep the grass short and playable. Many times, he has had to come to work as early as 5 a.m., but he still loves that smell of Bermuda grass in the morning. "This is my office out here," Mather said. "Most days, there is no way that I could ever be inside. It's good to be outside every day and enjoying the nice green grass, wildlife and everything else." Work days and early mornings are spent making sure that the course is in pristine condition for the onslaught of golfers who tee it up throughout the day. As might be expected, the greens, which are comprised of bent grass, are given the most attention. "The greens are some expensive real estate," Mather said. "A lot of time gets spent on them. They get mowed every day and we try to fertilize them once a week or so. They're a lot of fun, that's for sure." At an estimated cost of $25,000 to replace a green - and much more for the larger ones - it is obvious why greens are tended to so delicately. In fact, at this point, the greens are mowed at the precise length of 5/32 inch. Mather's job often extends beyond keeping the grass extremely short, though. He also works with a lot of the machinery and electrical equipment and even has to do some public relations work. His normal daily activities find him spraying for pesky mosquitoes, tending to the irrigation system, and when his boss, Gary L. Nelson, is gone, Mather tends to the clubhouse. "Because he worked here some summers, his knowledge of things probably far exceeds the years he's worked here," said Nelson, the clubhouse manager and head grounds superintendent at the course for 32 years. "For someone as young as he is, it's a pretty tall order and he has done it well. He's an exceptional individual." Not every day is full of birdies. When the course is below par, Mather often hears it from customers. "It's pretty discouraging when you work long hours and work pretty hard and people still aren't happy with the end result," Mather said. "There'll be complaints, but really we do everything we can do to get ready, and hopefully, people will just enjoy themselves." With his crew, whom he credits in helping him do his job, and his boss, whom he says couldn't be better, Mather loves the links and even gets to go out about once a week to tear up his own grass. But, he admits, he rarely keeps his score. "He's got a very bright future, and he's already found quite a love for Lee Park and the type of work," Nelson said. "It makes it a lot easier when you love coming to work. It makes some of those long hours a little bit shorter."